Report: Newcastle and PIF now want 6 ft 4 'outstanding leader' for Howe; £35m fee needed

Newcastle United are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings, according to a report from The Mirror. 

Despite the upturn in fortunes following the arrival of Eddie Howe at St James’ Park, the Magpies are expected to embrace a busy summer in the transfer market.

Having added Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier to the ranks in January, the central defensive department still requires attention in the upcoming window.

It appears that the Toon boss may already have singled out a potential top target from a domestic rival…

As per The Mirror, Newcastle have a ‘growing interest’ in 29-year-old Villa ace Mings, whose future remains in the balance under Steven Gerrard.

It’s claimed that the club captain at Villa Park is regarded as the ‘latest piece of the jigsaw’ and could be made available for sale as Howe outlines his rebuild plans in the North East.

The report also states that it would take offers in the region of £35million to land the man hailed as an ‘outstanding leader’ by England manager Gareth Southgate following a senior international debut against Bulgaria in 2019.

Boasting 121 Premier League appearances, Mings is certainly a proven top-flight operator and those aforementioned leadership skills would be of huge benefit to the Newcastle squad, particularly in light of question marks regarding the future of Jamaal Lascelles.

Capped on 17 occasions by England, the towering 6 foot 4 defender has made 36 appearances this season and earned a 6.92 Sofascore rating in the process, comprising of 4.1 clearances, 1.3 interceptions and 3.9 duels won on average per game.

That form combined with a dearth of high-quality options in the St James’ Park ranks – underlined by